A fleet depot package is three layers, one for each job the depot has. AC wallboxes carry the overnight row, where vehicles dwell for hours and the work is scheduling, not speed. One compact DC unit works the turnaround lane — the missed charge and the midday return. A three-phase portable rides behind both as the spare. This article sets out that composition and its load picture; sizing the fixed row itself is worked through in our fleet depot sizing guide.
Key Takeaways
- Compose the depot by job: wallboxes for the overnight row, one compact DC unit for turnaround, a portable as the spare.
- Overnight charging rewards coverage and attribution, not power — one post at the vehicle’s own bay.
- State the load picture as labelled ceiling arithmetic (example: 154 kW); capacity is the electrician’s and utility’s call.
- No cross-unit load management is listed for these products — if the plan needs it, confirm it in writing first.
The Package by Job
| Layer | The job it does | In the package | Notes, as listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overnight row | Every vehicle, every night | EV-ACT3204PE wallboxes; the EV-ACT5006T for North American depots | 22 kW three-phase, RFID and app on the ACT3204PE — sessions tie to a vehicle or driver; the ACT5006T is the 48 A NACS point |
| Turnaround lane | The missed charge, the extra trip, the midday return | One EV-RHDC30K-L | 22 kW DC class, single connector, OCPP 1.6J; bypasses the onboard charger; connector variant confirmed in writing |
| Spare and flex | A bay down, an overflow night, a temporary site | An EV-ACS3205PE portable | 22 kW three-phase from a CEE 32A socket — needs a sound socket wherever deployed |
Why the Base Layer Is Wallboxes
Overnight, time does the work that power does at a fast charger. A van parked for ten hours needs its energy by morning, attributed to the right vehicle — not quickly, and not via a shift-change queue for a shared point. A wallbox at each bay gives exactly that: the vehicle plugs in where it parks, the ACT3204E’s RFID ties the session to a card, and the row scales by bays, not charger power. Some depots build this layer on dual-connector stations instead — fewer, shared points with platform records — a legitimate composition of its own. This package is the wallbox one.
The Load Picture the Package Creates
The electrical question fits in one labelled example. A depot with six ACT3204PE wallboxes and one RHDC30K-L has a combined nameplate ceiling of 6 × 22 kW + 22 kW = 154 kW. That is arithmetic on ceilings, not a prediction — real draw sits below it, staggered by the rota as vehicles arrive and finish at different times. Its job is to open the capacity conversation: the electrician’s and utility’s written assessment decides what the supply can carry.
Two discipline points keep the picture honest. First, no product here is listed with cross-unit load management, so if the plan depends on chargers coordinating, that capability is a written confirmation before the order. Second, the portable draws only when plugged into a socket, on whatever circuit that socket belongs to — its deployment belongs in the depot’s own plan. Session records split the same way: RFID and app records on the wallboxes, OCPP 1.6J on the DC unit — see our OCPP explainer.
The Spare Is a Plan, Not a Purchase
- A named home. One known place, signed out against the bay it covers — a spare nobody can find at midnight is not a spare.
- A socket list. Its usable CEE sockets are listed and checked in advance, overflow parking included.
- A deployment rule. Who moves it, to which bay first, is decided in advance — not improvised during an outage.
The Package, Listed
EVDANCE supplies the composition as one range — the EV-ACT3204E and EV-ACT5006T wallboxes, the EV-RHDC30K-L, and the EV-ACS3205PE — through its commercial charging range, with a 3-year standard warranty. Fleets can take the hardware under their own livery via the private-label program, from 100 units.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why not build the depot on dual-connector stations instead?
You can — a different composition, not a wrong one. Stations suit depots preferring fewer shared points; wallboxes suit one-vehicle-per-bay yards wanting sessions tied to bay and driver. Choose by how the yard parks.
Is the DC unit a fast charger for route stops?
No. At 22 kW it sits far below the public DC fast charging band of roughly 50–350 kW; it is a turnaround lane for the depot’s own vehicles. Route stops are public DC’s job.
Does one platform see the whole package?
Not as a listed fact. The DC unit lists OCPP 1.6J; the wallbox lists RFID and app control. A single back office across both layers is a written confirmation before the order, never an assumption.
Related Reading
- Fleet Depot Charging: How to Size AC Chargers for Vans and Light Commercial Vehicles
- OCPP Explained: What Charge Point Operators Need From EV Charger Hardware
- How to Plan a Workplace EV Charging Program
- Commercial EV Charger Maintenance Checklist
